Right-hander Brandon Morrow didn't start Tuesday's game for Class AAA Tacoma, but that doesn't mean the Mariners don't want him to be a starter.

They do, and the sooner the better.

Morrow is working on converting from short relief work to starting with Tacoma, but he got in 4 2/3 innings of relief work Tuesday. That's because he pitched the completion of a game that was suspended back in April.

Morrow gave up six runs, but Seattle says that after one more start with Tacoma, he'll be up to join the rotation the first weekend in September. Manager Jim Riggleman didn't seem overly alarmed at Morrow's numbers after talking things over with Tacoma pitching coach Dwight Bernard.

"He said (Morrow) just didn't have a good night," Riggleman said. "(Morrow) feels great. That's the main thing. He's feeling healthy and he's raring to go with his next start.

"As we knew it would be, it's going to be a little bit of a hot-and-cold process. The breaking ball wasn't as effective as it had been in his previous outing."

Morrow will start one of the three games in the Yankees series during the first weekend of September.

TWINS 6, MARINERS 5: Minnesota RF Denard Span, who started the game in center, threw a strike to the plate to cut down PR Tug Hulett in the bottom of the eighth, helping the Twins end a three-game Seattle winning streak.

Hulett had taken over for DH Jeff Clement, whose double had scored C Kenji Johjima to cut the Seattle deficit to 6-5.

The Mariners had taken a 4-3 lead on LF Raul Ibanez's solo homer with two out in the seventh, but RHP Sean Green's struggles continued as he gave up three runs in the eighth.

Seattle Mariners News

Right-hander Brandon Morrow didn't start Tuesday's game for Class AAA Tacoma, but that doesn't mean the Mariners don't want him to be a starter.

They do, and the sooner the better.

Morrow is working on converting from short relief work to starting with Tacoma, but he got in 4 2/3 innings of relief work Tuesday. That's because he pitched the completion of a game that was suspended back in April.

Morrow gave up six runs, but Seattle says that after one more start with Tacoma, he'll be up to join the rotation the first weekend in September. Manager Jim Riggleman didn't seem overly alarmed at Morrow's numbers after talking things over with Tacoma pitching coach Dwight Bernard.

"He said (Morrow) just didn't have a good night," Riggleman said. "(Morrow) feels great. That's the main thing. He's feeling healthy and he's raring to go with his next start.

"As we knew it would be, it's going to be a little bit of a hot-and-cold process. The breaking ball wasn't as effective as it had been in his previous outing."

Morrow will start one of the three games in the Yankees series during the first weekend of September.

TWINS 6, MARINERS 5: Minnesota RF Denard Span, who started the game in center, threw a strike to the plate to cut down PR Tug Hulett in the bottom of the eighth, helping the Twins end a three-game Seattle winning streak.

Hulett had taken over for DH Jeff Clement, whose double had scored C Kenji Johjima to cut the Seattle deficit to 6-5.

The Mariners had taken a 4-3 lead on LF Raul Ibanez's solo homer with two out in the seventh, but RHP Sean Green's struggles continued as he gave up three runs in the eighth.